The present invention relates to a novel carpet tucking device useful in the laying of carpets on surfaces.
To install wall-to-wall carpeting, a tack strip is placed at the perimeter of the room adjacent the wall. The purpose of the tack strip is to secure the stretched carpet which will be laid atop the tack strip and to prevent movement subsequent to the installation of the carpet. A gap is left between the tack strip and the wall or adjacent structure of the room so that the edge of a newly layed and trimmed carpet may be tucked between the two and, thus, present a finished appearance.
Certain problems arise in the carrying out of the carpet laying process, namely the installer must exercise extreme caution not to damage the wall or adjacent uncarpeted surfaces, such as tile. In addition, it is extremely important not to mar or dirty the wall adjacent the edge of the carpet in the process of laying the carpet.
In the past, devices have been proposed for attaching a carpet to a tack strip such as that found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,082. U.S. Pat. No. 3,546,726 proposes a carpet tucker which utilizes a beveled wheel to roll the carpet into the gap between the tack strip and the baseboard or wall. U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,760 utilizes a pair of rotating wheels in a similar manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,963 proposes a carpet finishing tool which utilizes a rotatable disk which may be used to tuck a carpet between a tack strip and a wall as well as securing a carpet using adhesive rather than tack strips. The disk in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,963 patent is attached at an obtuse angle to the shaft used to exert the downward force.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,059 discloses a rotatable disk and blade combination tool to tuck the carpet in the gap between the tack strip and the wall. U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,226 employs a tucking wheel in combination with a spaced swivel block to press the carpet firmly against a tack strip or adhesive.
Although the prior art attempts to solve the problems enumerated above, a device which quickly and accurately tucks a carpet into the gap between the tack strip and the wall as well as pressing the carpet onto the tack strip in one operation without damaging adjacent structures is not shown in the prior art. A device which solves these problems would be great advance in the field of interior finishing.